Finished reading Darkness at Noon by Arthur
Koestler. I completed it over a month as I am a slow reader, and, generally
relish every word. This, however, was worth the relish. Here’s a talented
writer, much talented than many I have read recently, telling a chilling story,
that makes you tremble to your bones. This is the story of a fictitious
country, a socialist one, told by one of its highest disgraced founders. However,
it rings true in its linear narrative that spares nothing, and you feel the
cold darkness of the cell where the protagonist is kept prisoner.
If this is what happens to a founder of the
socialist empire, then what could be the story of countless others who have
been massacred, jailed, exiled, and disgraced? One thing that runs through the
pages is the terror of such an evil empire. You shudder to think of this
happening to your country, or, your immediate environment. God forbid!
Yes socialism may sound good from the
outside, but inside its all hell. Theorising over class and rank, the murder of
a trusted assistant, trial and execution of a friend who, initially tries to
protect you through rank, must have been traumatic experience for party
apparatchik Rubashov. He served his masters well, but was misunderstood and
could do nothing about it. He was, ironically enough, jailed for anti-party
activities, a common allegation in socialist parties. The prison scenes, the
interrogation tactics are chillingly described by the author.
Worth a read, though it is a classic, or,
in fact, because it is a classic.